 | The Prisoners |  |
Scena Quarta.
Enter Gallippus, and Cecillia.Gal.
Y'are very faire, let that remove your wonder,
Gallippus has surprizd her, and leads her in.
How we dare againe gaze upon that excellence,
She frownes.
Why doe you frowne? is it your Innocence,
Or your beauty, that you mistrust,
That thus you arme your selfe with anger to
Defend you, pray leave to be an enemy, you see
That could not protect you.
Cecil.
No monster, tis not to see thee play thy part
That troubles me, but to thinke that heaven
Failes in hers, thus to leave vertue without a guard,
Whilst lust and rapine grow strong in mischiefe,
As if the Innocent were created white
Onely to be fit to take the murtherers purple.
Gal.
As ye have mercy, remoove that threatened danger,
That ruine in your curld brovv, and injustice
And crosse fate together, then call to minde
How severely I was punisht for a single fault,
A fault that my love pleaded for but did not excuse:
And when you have found that blot in my story,
If you are equall, you must confesse all my life
To that houre paid you an humble and a faithfull
Service, and had I not found your scorne
Would leave me to my Dispaires, I had
Waited my fortunes, and not by force
Attempted to have gain'd my wishes, had you
Not bowed me that way, but tryed what
I could have suffer'd for you, not from you,
'Twould have started your soft soule to have
Seene me suffer, that would through a thousand
Hazzards have courted your favour till I
Had falne your Martyr.
Cecil.
Away, thy oylie tongue, nor bloody hand cannot prevaile,
Thy flattery and thy force, I am above both,
For love and his soft fire thou never feltst it,
Nor knowst that God, but by the name,
Thy false stoopings conclude thou canst not worship,
That thus durst againe by force attempt me,
That heart that truely loves, nobly suffers: and
Knowes that God of passions is to the longing soule,
Both the hunger and the food, and if his heaven
Be not reach'd with knees, their hands are not,
Nay cannot, yet maist thou live to love, and me,
I wish it not to glory in, but to punish thee.
Gil.
Are you so resolv'd, then Ile kneele no more,
But frowning gather all thy sweetes, begging
Lovers teach women a way to deny, which else
They durst not know: A slave there—
Take to your charge, this faire folly, and
As your eyes looke to her, let not her face
Bindes her
Betray your faith; convey her to the Gally,
There my Empire will begin.
Cer.
Think'st thou thy threates can fright, no I cannot
So much doubt the care of heaven, to think that power
Whose providence considers the fall of every little bird,
Will sleepe now, and o'resee the ruine of a Kingdome:
No monster I defie thee.
Gil.
Away to the Gally, there
When we have got the bootie Ile meete you.
Exit.
Hip.
Tis a lovely forme, with what a scorne
She beares her fortune.!
Cecil.
Sir I am but a stranger to you, yet if you
Durst disobey this bad man and give me freedome
I will not say I can reward such a benefit,
But I am certaine I can be gratefull:
Can you doe it?
Hip.
If I durst be dishonest Madam I think I could.
Cecil.
Dishonest? if it were not mine owne cause
I would dispute the act; but since 'tis,
Ile urge no more, for know I can with lesse
Paine be a prisoner then twice beg my freedome:
Obey him Sir.
They meet Pausanes.
Hip.
With paine and blushes, Madam I shall.
Pau.
Ha! tis she, and bound.
Hiparcus whether dost thou hale that innocence.
Hip.
Our Captaine deliverd her to me with command
To carry her to the Gally.
Pau.
Hold Hiparchus;
Vnbecomming office? tis not like thy selfe:
The brave hunter doates not upon the quarrie,
Nor had Hiparcus wont to fight for spoile.
Hip.
Nor does he now, nor ever shall
So faultie a conquest hang upon my name,
As to make me blush the victorie.
She was deliverd me by our Captaine,
And she can witnesse that to my faith he left
The securing her to the Gally. And
Pausanes knowes Hiparcus dares not breake
A trust.
Pau.
Thou mistakest this service, for to doe
This act is breaking trust with heaven.
Thou break'st with the gods, thou breakst with him
That gave thee credit for thy courage, and
Thine honour, and sent thee forth their souldier
To fight for them, and this the day of battaile,
Here the vertue on whose side thou ought'st
To bleede, the innocent in whose cause they
Command thee die to live a Conqueror.
Now thou flyest, thou runnest away,
Hiparcus flies meanly unvanquish'd,
As if by a pannick feare terrour-strucke,
For he is beaten by a mistake and conquers
His enemy while he loses his fame at home.
Hip.
Hold, what meanes Pausanes thus
With injurious words to wound his friend?
Pau.
I injure thee? I wound Hiparcus? I
Throw a scandall upon my friend? yee gods
Strangely punish Pausanes when he does so.
Hip.
What doe you lesse when you upbraid me for
My faith, and with art of words labour
To make me appeare faultie, as if you
Did not know the law by which we are bound
Is not alike with free men:
Have beene rewarded with these priviledges
Above our fellowes, woul'st have me kill
The cause of his bountie and in justice
For my treachery become a slave, and
Make this which was my fate my punishment,
I tell thee Pausanes I could not
Be free here should I doe this act.
He layes his hand upon his breast.
Cecil.
Defend me yee powers from this youth, his honour
Brings greater dangers then the Traytors bonds:
Sir, pray plead no more for me.
Hipar. offers to goe.
Pau.
Hiparchus thou see'st now tamely I have pleaded,
And in calmenesse urg'd my reasons: Once againe
By our wounds and blood so oft together shed
That their mixtures, have in their fall begot
A kinde of kindred, by all our miseries
Which still have beene allied, by our friendship
I conjure thee give me her freedome.
Hip.
I see thou hat'st me, else my reasons would
Prevaile, and thou would'st leave to preferre
A prisoner before thy friend, and his faith given:
And therefore know though your friendship doe plead
When tis against mine honour I can be deafe.
Pau.
Thou canst be anything, and I can weepe
To finde it, yee gods, would I have us'd
Hiparcus thus, Oh heavens that ever I
Should call thee friend: Hiparcus stay, I have
Hip. offers to goe agen.
One argument left still; unbinde her
Or guard you.
Hip.
Pausanes.
Pau.
Your Sword.
Heare me speake.
Pau.
No words, her freedome or your sword.
Hip.
Pausanes knowes I will not be beaten
Into an opinion, and since thou hast drawne
Thy sword last I will not yeeld her: My honour
Forbids me, thou art injurious to thinke
Thy force can prevaile beyond thy reason,
I tell thee Pausanes thy anger should not start me
If I could make thee an enemy.
Pau.
Defend your selfe.
They fight and are both wounded.
Hip.
Will you yet give me leave—to be faithfull.
Pau.
No, Hiparcus hunts his will not his faith.
Here Hiparcus gets Pausanes downe.
Cecil.
As you have honour hold, and let a virgins
Teares that shall fall to Seas divide your anger
But till my prayers can confirme your friendship.
They struggle.
Pau.
Looke upon her teares and these wounds whose
Anguish thy friendship not thy Sword brings and
Then weigh the act, I would thou hadst beene
Ten enemies rather then one friend
To have disputed this cause.
Hiparchus disarmes him.
| The Prisoners | |